292.65(3)(am)1.1. The department shall establish a method for determining the order in which it pays awards under this section. Except as provided in subd. 2., the method shall be based on environmental factors and on the order in which applications are received.

292.65(3)(am)2.2. The department shall pay an award for immediate action activities before it pays other awards.

292.65(3)(b)(b) The department shall promote the program under this section to persons who may be eligible for awards.

292.65(3)(c)(c) The department shall allocate 9.7 percent of the funds appropriated under s. 20.370 (6) (eq) in each fiscal year for awards for immediate action activities and applications that exceed the amount anticipated.

292.65(3)(d)(d) The department shall keep records and statistics on the program under this section and shall periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

292.65(3)(e)(e) No later than January 1, 2002, the department shall complete a review of the program under this section and shall submit a report on the results of the review to the joint committee on finance and to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature, as determined by the speaker of the house and the president of the senate, under s. 13.172 (3). The report shall include the department's recommendations for changes to the program. The review shall include consideration of whether the program should be expanded or ended, whether the program should be incorporated into a broader program of financial assistance for the remediation of environmental contamination and whether private insurance coverage should be required for any dry cleaning facilities.

292.65(4)(a)(a)General requirements. To be eligible for an award under this section, the owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility shall comply with pars. (b), (c), (e), (f) and (j) and the other requirements of this section applicable to the owner or operator.

292.65(4)(b)(b)Report. An owner or operator shall report a dry cleaning product discharge to the department in a timely manner, as provided in s. 292.11.

292.65(4)(c)1.1. An owner or operator shall notify the department, before conducting a site investigation or any remedial action activity, of the potential for submitting an application for an award under this section, except as provided in subd. 2.

292.65(4)(c)2.2.Subdivision 1. does not apply to an owner or operator who began a site investigation or remedial action activity before October 14, 1997.

292.65(4)(d)(d)Information from department. When an owner or operator notifies the department under par. (c) 1., the department shall provide the owner or operator with information on the program under this section and the department's estimate of the eligibility of the owner or operator for an award under this section.

292.65(4)(e)(e)Investigation. After notifying the department under par. (c) 1., if applicable, and before conducting remedial action activities, an owner or operator shall complete an investigation to determine the extent of environmental impact of the dry cleaning product discharge, except as provided in pars. (g) and (h).

292.65(4)(f)(f)Remedial action plan. After completing the investigation under par. (e) and before conducting remedial action activities, an owner or operator shall prepare a remedial action plan, based on the investigation under par. (e), that identifies specific remedial action activities proposed to be conducted, except as provided in pars. (g) and (h).

292.65(4)(g)(g)Immediate action. An owner or operator is not required to complete an investigation or prepare a remedial action plan before conducting an immediate action activity if the department determines that an immediate action is necessary.

292.65(4)(h)(h)Interim action. An owner or operator is not required to complete an investigation or prepare a remedial action plan before conducting an interim action activity if the department determines that an interim action is necessary.

292.65(4)(i)(i)Review of site investigation and remedial action plan. The department shall, at the request of an owner or operator, review the site investigation results and the remedial action plan and advise the owner or operator on the adequacy of the proposed remedial action activities in meeting the requirements of this section. The department shall complete the review of the site investigation and remedial action plan within 45 days. The department shall also provide an estimate of when funding will be available to pay an award for remedial action conducted in response to the dry cleaning product discharge.

292.65(4)(j)(j)Remedial action. The owner or operator shall conduct all remedial action activities that are required under this section in response to the dry cleaning product discharge, including all of the following:

292.65(4)(j)1.1. Recovering any recoverable dry cleaning product from the environment.

292.65(4)(j)2.2. Managing any residual solid or hazardous waste in a manner consistent with local, state and federal law.

292.65(4)(k)(k)Agents. An owner or operator may enter into a written agreement with another person under which that other person acts as an agent for the owner or operator in conducting the activities under pars. (e) to (j). If an agreement is entered into under this paragraph, all requirements applicable to an owner or operator under par. (m) and subs. (8) (a), (8m), and (12) apply to the agent. The owner or operator or the agent may submit the application for an award under this section.

292.65(4)(L)(L)Awards for dry cleaning facilities on tribal trust lands. The owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility located on trust lands of an American Indian tribe may be eligible for an award under this section if the owner or operator otherwise satisfies the requirements of this subsection and complies with the rules promulgated under this section and any other rules promulgated by the department concerning dry cleaning facilities.

292.65(4)(m)(m)Notification of applications and receipt of funds. An owner or operator shall notify the department of any application, including any insurance claim, made to obtain funds to cover eligible costs or to obtain a tax credit based on eligible costs, the status of the application, and, if the owner or operator has received any funds or any tax credit arising from the application, the amount of funds or tax credit received.

292.65(5)(a)1.1. The owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility on which construction begins after October 14, 1997, is not eligible for an award under this section unless the owner or operator has implemented the enhanced pollution prevention measures described in par. (b).

292.65(5)(a)2.2. The owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility on which construction began on or before October 14, 1997, is ineligible for an award under this section with respect to a discharge that occurs on or after the 91st day after the day on which the department issues a case closure letter with respect to an earlier discharge of dry cleaning solvent from the dry cleaning facility, unless the owner or operator has implemented the enhanced pollution prevention measures described in par. (b).

292.65(5)(b)(b) An owner or operator who is required to implement enhanced pollution prevention measures under par. (a) shall demonstrate all of the following:

292.65(5)(b)3.3. That each machine or other piece of equipment in which dry cleaning product is used, or the entire area in which those machines or pieces of equipment are located, is surrounded by a containment dike or other containment structure that is able to contain any leak, spill, or other release of dry cleaning product from the machines or other pieces of equipment.

292.65(5)(b)4.4. That the floor within any area surrounded by a dike or other containment structure under subd. 3. is sealed or is otherwise impervious to dry cleaning product.

292.65(5)(c)(c) The owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility is not eligible for an award under this section unless the owner or operator has implemented the following enhanced pollution prevention measures:

292.65(5)(c)1.1. That the owner or operator manages all wastes that are generated at the dry cleaning facility and that contain dry cleaning product as hazardous wastes in compliance with ch. 291 and 42 USC 6901 to 6991i.

292.65(5)(c)2.2. That the dry cleaning facility does not discharge dry cleaning product or wastewater from dry cleaning machines into any sanitary sewer or septic tank or into the waters of this state.

292.65(5)(c)3.3. That any perchloroethylene delivered to the dry cleaning facility is delivered by means of a closed, direct-coupled delivery system.

292.65(7)(a)(a)General. Subject to pars. (c), (ce), (cm), and (d), eligible costs for an award under this section include reasonable and necessary costs incurred by the owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility because of a discharge of dry cleaning product at the dry cleaning facility for the following items only:

292.65(7)(a)14.14. Other costs identified by the department as reasonable and necessary for proper investigation, remedial action planning and remedial action activities to meet the requirements of s. 292.11.

292.65(7)(b)1.1. In this paragraph, “
3rd party" means a person who is not an owner or operator or the agent of an owner or operator.

292.65(7)(b)2.2. Eligible costs for an award under this section include reasonable and necessary costs, up to $15,000, incurred by a 3rd party in the discovery of a discharge of dry cleaning product from an eligible owner's or operator's dry cleaning facility before the eligible owner or operator discovered the discharge, notwithstanding noncompliance with the procedural requirements of sub. (4) in relation to the costs incurred by the 3rd party.

292.65(7)(c)(c)Exclusions from eligible costs. Eligible costs for an award under this section do not include the following:

292.65(7)(c)3.3. Other costs that the department determines to be associated with, but not integral to, the investigation and remediation of a dry cleaning product discharge from a dry cleaning facility.

292.65(7)(c)4.4. Costs that the department determines to be unreasonable or unnecessary to carry out the remedial action activities as specified in the remedial action plan.

292.65(7)(ce)(ce)Usual and customary costs. The department may establish a schedule of usual and customary costs for any items under par. (a) and may use that schedule to determine the amount of an applicant's eligible costs.

292.65(7)(cm)(cm)Eligible cost; service providers. The department may promulgate rules under which the department selects service providers to provide investigation or remedial action services in specified areas. The rules may provide that the costs of a service for which the department has selected a service provider in an area are not eligible costs under par. (a), or that eligible costs are limited to the amount that the selected service provider would have charged, if an owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility located in that area uses a service provider other than the service provider selected by the department to perform the services. If the department selects service providers under this paragraph, it shall regularly update the list of service providers that it selects.

292.65(7)(d)(d)Discharges from multiple activities. If hazardous substances are discharged at a dry cleaning facility as a result of dry cleaning operations and as a result of other activities, eligible costs under this section are limited to activities necessitated by the discharge of dry cleaning product.

292.65(8)(a)(a)Application. An owner or operator shall submit an application on a form provided by the department. An owner or operator may not submit an application if the owner or operator submits the notification of potential claim under sub. (4) (c) after August 30, 2008. The department shall authorize owners and operators to apply for awards at stages in the process under sub. (4) that the department specifies by rule. An application shall include all of the following documentation of activities, plans, and expenditures associated with the eligible costs incurred because of a dry cleaning product discharge from a dry cleaning facility:

292.65(8)(a)1.1. A record of investigation results and data interpretation.

292.65(8)(a)4m.4m. If the owner or operator receives any funds arising from an application, including an insurance claim, for any eligible costs or a tax credit based on eligible costs, a record of the payment.

292.65(8)(a)5.5. Other records and statements that the department determines to be necessary to complete the application.

292.65(8)(b)(b)Acknowledgement. The department shall acknowledge, in writing, the receipt of an application under par. (a).

292.65(8)(c)(c)Approval. Subject to par. (d), if the department finds that an applicant meets the requirements of this section and rules promulgated under this section, the department shall make an award as provided in this subsection to the applicant for eligible costs. The department may not make an award for an investigation before it approves the investigation. The department may not make an award for remedial action activities before it approves the remedial action activities.

292.65(8)(d)(d)Denial of applications. The department shall deny an application under this section if any of the following applies:

292.65(8)(d)1.1. The application is not within the scope of this section.

292.65(8)(d)6.6. The applicant willfully failed to comply with laws or rules of this state concerning the use or disposal of dry cleaning solvents.

292.65(8)(d)7.7. All of the fees, interest, and penalties due under ss. 77.9961, 77.9962, and 77.9964 have not been paid unless an agreement has been entered into with the department of revenue establishing a payment schedule for all of the fees, interest, and penalties due.

292.65(8)(d)8.8. The dry cleaning product discharge was caused on or after October 14, 1997, by a person who provided services or products to the owner or operator or to a prior owner or operator of the dry cleaning facility, including a person who provided perchloroethylene to the owner or operator or prior owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility using a system other than a closed, direct-coupled delivery system.

292.65(8)(e)(e)Deductible. The department may make an award to the owner or operator of a dry cleaning facility only for eligible costs incurred at each dry cleaning facility that exceed the following deductible:

2015-16 Wisconsin Statutes updated through 2017 Wis. Act 136 and all Supreme Court and Controlled Substances Board Orders effective on or before February 3, 2018. Published and certified under s. 35.18. Changes effective after February 3, 2018 are designated by NOTES. (Published 2-3-18)